Type-writing machine.



No. s44,|s7.- Patented Feb. 27, I900.

C.SEARS. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

(Applies/Lien filed Nov. 9, 1898.)

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(No Model.)

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Patented Feb. 27, I900.

C. SEARS.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

(Application fi led Nov. 9, 1898.)

3 Sheets8heet 2.

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No. 644,|87. Patented Feb. 27, I900.

' C. SEARS.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 9, 1898.) (N9 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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PATEN CHARLES SEARS, OF CLEVELAND, OIIIO.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

srncrrronrrolv forming part or Letters Patent No. 644,187, dated.February 27, 1906. Application filed November 9, 1898. Serial No.695,945. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES SEARS, acitizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Type-WVriting Machines,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a class of typewriting machines of which theso-called Hammond machine is the best-known example now in the market.

One object isto reduce the inertia of the type-carrying device whichmust be moved in one direction or another to bring the proper letter tothe printing-point, and this result is accomplished by reducing the sizeof the type-carrying shuttle which must be moved to bring a letter tothe impressionpoint. Heretofore it has been customary to employ a singleshuttle carrying all of the type arranged in a plurality of rows,generally three, andit has been necessary, therefore, to move thisshuttle and all of the type carried thereby for every impression. Myimprovement with respect to this part of the machine consists inproviding an independently-movable shuttle for each row of charactertype and in providing also mechanism for moving either shuttle at willand for preventing the movement of the other shuttles.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel mechanism wherebythe hammer will deliver blows of uniform force, notwithstanding the factthat the type-writer carriage is fed forward at each stroke distancesproportionate to the width of the corresponding character.

Theinvention is herein fully described,and definitely pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of so much of a type-writer asenables one to fully understand the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectionalside elevation of the same on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view,partlyin section,from the opposite side of the machine. Fig. 4 is 'aperspective view of one of the shuttles. Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofa part of the anvil-cylinder, the shuttle, and

the shuttle-locking device. Fig. 6 is a similar View showing a modifiedconstruction of the parts shown inFig. 5.

A vertical shaft A, incapable of turning", is mounted in suitablehearings in which it may move vertically. The anvil-cylinder B isrigidly connected with this shaft. In this cylinder there are as manyhorizontal cir= cu inferential slots 5 as there are shuttles.

The shuttle-operator D is loosely mounted on the shaft A, resting on apart of the framework 0 of the machine, and it is prevented from movingupward by a horizontal flange d, which lies below the head 5' of ascrew'J.

One arm d of the shuttle-operator (the stop-arm) extends forward to apoint where it may engage with the vertically-movable stop-pins I, ofwhich only one is shown in Fig. 2. There is, however, a stop-pinassociated with each of the key-levers G, and each stop-pin is moved upby its associated 1ever,so that it may be engaged by the shuttleoperatorstop-arm d. This stop-pinis moved down by a spring t'. i These pins andtheir arrangementrelative tothekey-lever,whereby they are operated, iswell known and therefore need not be here explained.

Another arm (2 of the shuttle-operator extends rearward, is bent upward,and then rearward again, whereby its rear end may engage with that oneof the shuttles which is in the impression-line, this being the uppershuttle when the shaft A is in its lower position, which is the normalposition of said shaft. Any mechanism may be used intermediate oftheshuttle-operator and the keys, whereby each key-lever imparts to theshuttle-operator a distinctive movement either with respect to directionor distance. The meohanisn shown for this purpose is substantially themechanism which is employed in the commercial Hammond machine and neednot be here eX- plained.

The mechanism shown for raising the shaft, so as to bring either of theshuttles into the impression-line and so as to be engaged by the shuttleoperator, is substantially the mechanism employed for this purpose inthe commercial Hammond machine. It consists of an arm w, which projectsrearwardly from a pivoted bar W and engages with the lower end of theshaft A. The shift key-levers X are connected with this bar, whereby thedepression of either lever causes the bar to rock upon its pivot agreater or less distance, whereby the shaft A is raised a greater orless distance.

Each shuttle is a thin segment E, having on its outer convex side asingle horizontal row of characters 6. To its inner concave side a thinhorizontal fin e is secured. This fin lies in one of the slots 12 of theanvil-cylinder, whereby it is guided and the shuttle held in line. Attwo or more points this fin is extended entirely through theanvil-cylinder, and to one or both these of extensions some deviceas,for example, a strengthening-flange e, as shown in Fig.4 --is securedinside the anvil-cylinder, whereby the shuttle is held in properrelation to said cylinder, although it is permitted to move in the arcof a circle around said cylinder. In one of these extensions e", whichis preferably at the middle of the shuttle, there is a notch 6 which isadapted to receive the end of the arm at of the shuttle-operator.Another extension c has a hole e, (or it may be merely a notch, as shownin Fig. 6,) which is adapted to receive a shuttle-locking device. Thisshuttle-locking device may be in the form of two pins 71. h, which areattached to the frame 0 and are in the same vertical plane,one above theother, there being between their ends a suflicient space for the freemovement of one of these extensions on the shuttle-fin. The form of thislocking device may be materially changed without in any waylchanging itsessential characteristics or mode of operation. For example, it may be athin flat bar K, secured in a vertical position to the frame 0, whichbar is adapted to enter notches e in the extension e. This bar hasitself a notch It in its edge wide and deep enough for one of theseextensions to pass through it. This construction is shown in Fig. 6. Thenotch in this bar, or in the other construction the space between theends of the pins, is in the same horizontal plane with the end of theshuttle-operator arm (1 The function of this locking device is topreventthe rotation of any shuttle, except that which this operating-arm is inengagement with. It will be clearly seen that when the shaft A israised, carrying with it the anvil-cylinder and shuttles, the extensions6 on all of the shuttles, except that in the im pression-line,areengaged by this locking device.

There are several advantages in employin g these independent shuttles,each carrying only one row of type. One advantage is the reduction inweight of the thing necessarily moved to bring the proper letter totheimpression-point and the consequent reduction in the inertia of thatthing. Another advantage is that when one of the shuttles is broken orworn out it alone need be replaced by an- 'ing a complete stroke.

other. The shuttle carrying the lower-case characters is subjected tovery much more wear than either of the other shuttles, and it willtherefore wear out very much sooner.

There is, moreover, a-distinct and valuable improvement in theconstruction of the shuttles, as shown. I'Ieretofore the shuttles havebeen made of hard rubber in the segment form, with the characters uponthe outer face, and a metal guide-fin has been set into the concave sideof this rubber plate. Obviously this construction is expensive and isnot durable. The shuttles which I prefer to use and which are shown inthe drawings are formed by first making an electrotype of the charactersdesired in the line, then filling this electrotype with and securing itto a, thin malleable metal backing. The fiat plate thus formed is thenbent into the desired segment shape and the metal fin is soldered orotherwise secured to its concave side. This is a very much cheaperconstruction than that referred to which has been heretofore used and itis believed it will last longer.

In type-writing machines it is desirable that all characters shall beprinted by blows of uniform force, and the machine, as shown,

" embodies novel mechanism for eifecting this result.

The impression-hammer R is pivoted to the frame 0 by forwardly-extendingarms r whereby the weight of the hammer draws it backward. sition by asliding spring-latch N, which engages with a rib c on the frame. Thislatch is mounted on a rearwardly-extended arm r of the hammer. Its rearend is connected with an arm m of a bell-crank lever M, which is pivotedto this arm '1'. m is a spring act= ing directly on this arm of thebell-crank lever to move it and the latch, to which it is connected, inthe latching direction. Theend of the latch and of the rib c arebeveled, whereby the latchingis automatic. The other and nearlyhorizontal arm m of the bell-crank lever lies over the end of anadjustable screw 25, carried by a lever T. This lever in. the form shownpasses under the frame, being pivoted to cars a. Secured to the frontend of this lever isva bar t, which lies beneath all of the key-levers.These key-levers are pivoted to the frame in such manner that theirforward ends move diiferent distances in mak- The top of the barf istherefore notched directly beneath theseveral key-levers insuch a mannerthat the unequal movements of the key-levers cause uniform movements ofthis bar and the lever T, to which it is attached. On the rear end ofthis lever a rod t is secured which passes up through a slot in therearwardly-extend ing hammer-arm r. Between thev hammerarm. and thelever and surrounding this rod is a coiled spring S. Then by thedepression of any key-lever this lever T is rocked the spring S is putunder tension, which is It is latched in this retracted pothe same inall cases, and then the screwpoint t strikes the horizontal arm m of thebell-crank lever M and rocks it, whereupon the latch is withdrawn andthe hammer is swung forward by the expansion of the spring. Havingstruck its blow, the hammer falls back with sufficient force to causethe latch to again engage with the frame-rib.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a type-writing machine, thecombination of an anvil having a plurality of parallel slots, and aplurality of type-shuttles each having on its inner face a fin whichlies and moves in one of said slots, and each fin having two extensionswhich pass through the anvil, with mechanism for moving the anvil tobring any shuttle into the impression-line, a shuttle-operator adaptedto engage with one of the rearward extensions on the fin of that shuttlewhich is in the impression-line, and a shuttle-locking device fixed tothe frame of the machine and engaging with the other extensions on thefins of the other shuttles, substantially as specified.

2. In a type-writing machine, the combination of ananvil-cylinder havinga plurality of parallel slots, and a plurality of segmentshapedtype-shuttles each having on its inher face a fin which lies andoperates in one of said slots, each fin having one extension through theanvil which extension is vertically notched, and having also anotherextension through said anvil, mechanism for moving said anvil to bringeither shuttle into theimpression-line,aconcentrically-mountedshuttle-operator having an outer horizontal end which is adapted toengage in the notched extension of that shuttle which is in theimpression-line, mechanism for moving said operator, and ashuttle-locking device fixed to the frame and engaging with the otherextenbring any shuttle into the impression-line, a

shuttle-operator adapted to engage with one inward extension of the finon the shuttle in the impression-line and a shuttle-locking device fixedto the frame of the machine and engaging with the other extensions onthe fins of the other shuttles, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

4:. In a type-writing machine, the combina tion of the impression-hammerhaving a rearwardly-extended arm, a spring-latch mounted on said arm andadapted to engage with the machine-frame, and a bell-crank lever mountedon said arm, one arm of which engages with the latch, with a levercarrying a vertical rod which passes up through a slot in the hammer-arm, a coiled spring surrounding said rod and lying between thelever and hammer-arm, and an adjustable tripping device for engagingwith the free arm of the bell-crank lever and the lever first namedwhereby the latter is operated, and mechan ism whereby the said lever isoperated by the key-levers, substantially as and for the pur posespecified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CHARLES SEARS. Witnesses:

THos. O. BRINKLEY, PHILIP E. KNOWLTON.

